Microelectronic systems, e.g., integrated circuits, circuit boards, etc., are often designed with built-in testing hardware to provide access to an external testing platform. The external testing platform may communicate with a microelectronic system, e.g., a tested platform, via a boundary scan testing process that provides an interface at the tested platform's boundary. Boundary scan testing may allow the testing platform to access and test the various portions of the tested platform (e.g., interconnects on circuit board, sub-blocks within an integrated circuit, etc.). The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has standardized a boundary scan procedure in IEEE 1149.1—1990. IEEE 1149.1-1990 is often referred to as Joint Test Action Group (JTAG), which is the body promulgating the standard. Reference to a JTAG component (e.g., debugger, interface, etc.), may refer to a component that is compatible with this standard.
Boundary scan testing may often be used for system debugging in an embedded platform. System debugging provides service-level debugging of drivers, an operating system (OS) kernel, etc. For system debugging, a tested platform's OS is treated as a large application running on a specific core of the tested platform. The OS may include a number of debug events put in place for debugging purposes that serve as an intentional stopping or pausing place in the program. When an OS debug event occurs, a debugger (e.g., a JTAG debugger) running on a testing platform may debug the OS by stopping the OS and resuming it through JTAG commands.
Embedded platforms may also be tested through application debugging. Application debugging may be used by a platform developer to debug a specific application running on a tested platform. The developer may use a debug manager that is provided by an OS of the tested platform. Unlike the JTAG debugger, the OS is always running through the application debugging.
In traditional systems, system and application debugging are done separately from one another due to the fact that if a debug event occurs within an application of the execution environment, a JTAG debugger will catch the event first. However, the JTAG debugger may not be able to determine which application is active, thereby comprising the ability of application debugging to be done while the JTAG debugger is operational.